Launching our little business last month has been an eye-opening experience. It has broadened my mind about the dynamics of being an entrepreneur in this country. I am bound to agree with the observations of some people (including foreigners) that the environment for doing business in the Philippines is poor and discouraging. But first of all, President Arroyo should crack the whip on agencies who are “good on paper” but are actually NO GOOD in what they do.

For example, how does DTI Secretary Peter Favila and his staff explain the more than one month wait in the approval of business names? I am asking this because the DTI even goes to the extremes of spending millions for advertising their Business Name Registration Service (DTI BNRS is supposedly a frontline service for the registry of sole proprietorships). The last time, I saw their half-page ads in the Inquirer.

More than one month of waiting for government approval of a business name is just inexcusable. It certainly doesn’t speak of the prompt delivery of service and efficiency of the DTI. My fellow applicants and I have been in touch through cellphone and they told me that they haven’t received their certificates from DTI as well. We applied on the second week of May. DTI BNRS promised to process our applications in two weeks, and they were supposed to mail our papers to us.

Another question that begs to be answered is: have DTI services deteriorated? I remember opening an eatery eight years ago, and I got my approved business name on the same day at the main DTI office in Buendia. The establishment of satellite offices (now in Hi-Way 54, Park & Ride Lawton, and Kalookan City) is supposed to make their work easier, but look at what’s happening. Does the DTI have no computer software to search for any duplication in business names? If they are doing investigation as well, they probably shouldn’t promise two weeks , when what they actually mean is TWO YEARS.

I am worried about the shortcomings in DTI’s services. An approved business name is, after all, the first step in obtaining a business license. Without it, nothing else moves. The very slow approval process actually encourages corruption as some people would certainly be tempted to hire a broker or a fixer to facilitate things. But corruption is the least that a small business owner/ entrepreneur with very little capital would like to experience and encounter.

Now, do we still have to wonder why it’s better to do business online, or engage in the underground economy? High taxes, red tape, corruption and DTI’s big-time registration PHAIL make it all possible.

*END OF RANT*

My related post on Barrio Siete: Mag-monkey business na lang tayo

Truth to tell, during my first (and only) visit to Tokyo in ’05, budget constraints forced me to visit the 100-yen stores as my only option for buying ‘pasalubong.’ They were huge, housed in three to four-storey buildings with all kinds of stuff available.

Fast forward to 2009, one need not fly as far because the real 100-yen (hyaku-en) shop named Saizen opened its first branch at the Robinsons Galleria last April 29. Everything at 85 pesos each! I have to admit: the extent of their offerings makes Japan Home Center a poor cousin. Must-buys here, in my opinion: beauty aids, home organizers and kitchen tools, including bento accessories that I’ve been looking for. And of course, things related to Japan!

I just wish Saizen would go forth and multiply soon, and not limit its store to faraway Ortigas.

Some interesting items:

French fries container, almost like the way it looks in McDonalds. Bought a pack, so kids will think it’s the real thing

Multi-colored, brightly-designed chopsticks.

I look at these, and if I were the copywriter, I’d say: “Hayden Kho-inspired banana holders.”

Seven Dwarfs home ornaments ~ complete them all!

My Saizen loot netted me P3,060. Aaaargh! And they say 100-yen shops are cheap? Hehe.

My favorites from this batch are the bento picks, lunch cloth, the polka-dotted hair turban, gold-colored bracelets, the magnetic dolls as well as the kikay accessories like nail art and eyelashes. They’re all the height of cute!

The sales clerk told me celebrities like Judy Ann, Chynna and Carmina have been flocking to the store too…. so we’re definitely not in the wrong company.

My next post will tell you all about shopping wisely in this Saizen. Mata ne!

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Like most remote islands in the Philippines, it is hard to fly to Batanes on a budget. The Sweetheart paid $450 $425 for each of us on three-day, two night package tour arranged by a travel agency. Of course you know what happened after that – our three days became nine days which posed a challenge to our budget, considering that no credit cards were accepted and there were only government ATMs on the island.

I figure that what makes travelling to Batanes expensive is the airfare, which stands at something like $250 to $300 for a return trip. The route is not competitive at all (meaning no other airlines fly here) and I don’t know about Asian Spirit’s role in dictating the prices. Maybe it is not lucrative for them at all. It would have been cheaper if you can SAIL to Batanes, even if takes forever. There is a ship departing the island, but it only goes as far as Currimao, Ilocos Norte. We heard merchant vessels are going to ply the northernmost route from Manila soon. Don’t know how reliable this will be, given the island’s weather temperament. Let’s just wait and see.

My opinion is that Batanes shouldn’t be ‘unreachable’ at all to the ordinary traveler, especially Filipinos who dream of going there at least once in their lifetime. Paying $300 for airfare to see a beautiful, albeit, isolated part of the Philippines is an anachronism in this age of budget air travel when flying to Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan, Bangkok and Vietnam can cost you a little less than $200, taxes included. Surely, there is a way to travel by cheap to Batanes? Here are my notes and recommendations:

1. Ask a Batanes resident. if you can find one. They can tell you about the in’s and out’s of travelling to their remote island. In my case, I talked to a lady at the domestic airport who told me that she paid for her plane ticket at 50% less the published rates. Asian Spirit has a VIP pass which gives you a discount for an XX number of trips. Maybe you can apply this to your group trips? Consider going about this Filipinos-style (read: make diskarte).

2. Travelling in groups always come out cheaper (see above).

3. Lodging/accommodation in Batanes can cost as little as P100 per day for a homestay, P350 for a room in an inn to as much as P2,000 for the suites with hot water. We did not stay in a “suite” at Batanes Seaside, but we managed to have hot water by borrowing their water heater

Batanes has no full-fledged hotels but here’s a handy list of places you can stay:

Batanes Seaside Lodge & Restaurant - where we stayed! P1,000/night for a twin bed room, P2,000 for the suites. This is more like a family home with a warm family ambiance. The manager, Lydia Roberto, is jovial as well as reliable and surely knows her way around her island. Ask about her Batan & Sabtang island tours complete with tour guide, picnic by the beach and transportation.

National Road, Kaycharianan, Basco, Batanes
0921 229 0120, 0915 940 4823
email: lroberto_seaside@yahoo.com

Shenedel’s Inn – almost adjacent to Batanes Seaside. Another family-style inn divided into 16 rooms or so. Rooms as low as P350. Their coffee shop has a nice ocean view.

Batanes Resort – a government-run place with single-detached accommodations designed like stone houses. The ocean view is spectacular and the resort can also be reserved for special functions like parties and seminars. The fan rooms can go as low as P250/person for triple occupancy.

Call 0927 5839078 for inquiries.

Pension Ivatan – an 11-room lodge located in a sprawling complex that’s near the Basco Airport. Rates start at P1,000. We must say the best thing about this place is their bakery and their food – it was the best in Basco! More on that later.

Visit the Pension Ivatan website

4. Food in Batanes can be P50/meal per person at a roadside carinderia, P100 for a combo meal in Batanes Seaside which has yummy fried chicken. An excellently-prepared meal with three dishes or so at Pension Ivatan can cost P250 per person.

5. Bring cash, and extra cash. You’ve been warned already: no credit cards are accepted in Batanes! There’s a Western Union outlet though

6. Be able to forecast unforeseen circumstances, such as repeated flight cancellations!!! Bring extra cash again for emergencies and/or undesired extended stays.

7. Formal group tour or DIY tour? Official tour rates complete with tour guide can cost as much as P2,500. An option can be to explore Batanes on your own by walking on foot or renting a bike and pedalling through the great countryside. To go to scenic Sabtang, you have to ride a boat.

8. Load up your videocam and digicam. You’d be so captivated with the enchanting scenery everywhere you turn, you’ll run out of batteries. It happened to me! bring extra all the time.

9. Look for independent laundry shops in Basco, not in the lodges where it’s usually more expensive.

10. Travel to Batanes when it’s the best time to visit, namely the summer months of March and April. The downside: it might be crowded. The upside: you’ll avoid flight cancellations because of uh, bad weather, and spending for your unnecessary vacation ‘extension’ in the process.